Tales of Flamel
by Yokoh-chan
Summary: New to H.Q., Daniel opens a doorway that leads to the lair of genius alchemist Afarius Flamel, but can it be that he has the key to the Grand Elixir? Now, it's up to Lark, Roy and Riza to find out! Updated every Friday.
1. Nicolas Flamel

**Tales of Flamel**

**Lark sighed heavily and twirled the pencil in her hand. If there was anything that was going to aggravate her it was this blasted test. For all her studying she still was having trouble with some of the questions presented therein. Getting annoyed, she titled her chair back and closed her eyes.**

**The room was full of other State Alchemist hopefuls, all taking the same test. Set up in stadium style seating, at long tables side by side, they all stared assiduously at the papers before them. Lark was the only one distracted and it was for one main reason; she had the attention span of a melon wedge. Though she was undoubtedly the most skilled alchemist in the room and the most able to learn, she was having the hardest time finishing. Even for all of her studying through the past year, chemistry was not her favorite thing. That being so, though, being a State Alchemist payed well and there were no job openings for women obsessed with historical warfare. Science ran rampant in her veins…she really had no choice in her fate.**

**Okay, carbon, she thought. Ugh, blast it…carbon…makes up less than one percent of the earth or anything in it for that matter and chemistry REVOLVES around it. Absolutely ridiculous!…now let's see…**

**Lark titled her chair forward, meeting the table with a "_clunk"_ and caught a glare from the man beside her. His hair was slicked back and he wore a vest of dark blue over a stark white shirt. Glancing down at her own clothing, a bright green shirt with lace around the sleeves and hem with a tapered skirt and heeled shoes, she sighed. **

**I don't really look much like a scientist. What in hell am I even DOING here? She asked herself for the millionth time. Tossing her head from side to side, Lark forced her eyes back to the page before her. CARBON. Lark said, resolute. **

**Alright, let's review some basics…Carbon has over 250,000 separate compounds…more than all other elements combined…I guess it's obvious why it's so important. So, organic chemistry is the chemistry of things containing carbon, and inorganic the chemistry of, well, everything else…Lark returned her attention to the question and immediately dropped her head onto the table.**

**I don't CARE about the principle of a carbon arc! What are we, welders all of the sudden! Irritable, she answered the question and moved on to the next one. A series of elemental symbols...What do they make up? That one's easy! Carbon Tetrachloride! Next section is on…Scandium! Who discovered scandium, and in what year? That's easy too! Dmitri Mendeleev in wait…he just predicted it on the periodic table…did he discover it too? It _was_ found in his lifetime…let's see here…scandium is number 21, right? Atomic weight is 44.66…or is it 99? 69? No, 96! 34.96…NO, NO, NO! 54.66! UGH, damnation! That's wrong…44.96?**

**As Lark continued, muddled thoughts bumping around her head, her mother, one Professor Ivy Johansson, waited patiently outside. It drizzled markedly and she watched as men and women in uniforms traipsed about the building with umbrellas up. She sighed, dreading for her daughter. **

**"She's going to forget the atomic weight of scandium again…I can just _feel_ it."**

**"44.96, of course. That's an easy one!" piped a young voice in front of her.**

**Lifting her eyes upward to see what it was casting the shadow over her, Ivy's face lit up into a smile. She had never been so happy to see a suit of armor. That seemed more likely something that would get her daughter excited…**

**Ivy stood up. "Alphonse! Well, my goodness! Has it really been a whole year since I've seen you?"**

**The suit clunked slightly as it's head bobbed in a 'yes' motion. "But it really doesn't seem like it's been so long does it?"**

**Ivy shook her head from side to side, her cropped hair shifting about her face. "No, not after exchanging so many letters!"**

**Al folded his hands in front of him. "No, ma'am. It seems like it was just yesterday that we were in Central diverting the flood…"**

**"Yes," Ivy agreed. "I still get chills when I see the rain, I'm afraid…and what's with this ma'am business, boy!" She grumbled. "Do I really look that old? Come on, out with it! Tell me if I do, because if that's the case then I need to hurry up and get Lark married off!"**

**Waving his hands back and forth in front of his face, Al stammered, "N-no ma'am, er, that is…Miss, Professor, I mean…"**

**Ivy laughed outright. "You're so cute, I just don't know what to do with you! Maybe when your brother finds the stone and gets you your body back I can have _you_ marry Lark!"**

**If he possibly could have, the boy would have blushed. "Professor Johansson…I-I-…"**

**She laughed again. "I was joking, of course! But, speaking of your brother, where is he?"**

**"Oh, Brother isn't here." Al said. "I came alone to wish Lark good luck, but…between you and I, I don't think he wants her to pass." he admitted.**

**Ivy frowned at this, momentarily taken back. "He what?" An odd feeling, a mix of pity and irritation, formed in the pit of her stomach. "That's really a shame…and after all the letters she and he have written back and forth…Lark's become quite fond of you two boys, you know." She shrugged as if to try and dislodge the weight of the issue from he shoulders. "Oh, well, though. She's going to be heartbroken that he didn't show. Let's think up a little white lie, hmm?" Ivy winked.**

**Al bowed slightly. "Sorry." He sighed. "He hasn't really said anything about it to me, but when I left this morning he said he wasn't going to come so I just assumed that his feelings about her being offered a position in the military hadn't changed. I can't imagine why he wouldn't want her to pass, though."**

**"Pencils down." uttered a voice from the front of the room. Lark's belly flipped several times (or so it felt to her) and she jumped a little. She had finished, but she felt extremely unsure of herself. She wished she shared the confident smiles of the people around her. Her heart began to pound.**

**As she placed her paper down on the desk in front of the room, she gave a curt bow to one of the officers who had overseen the testing. His stoic face made her feel sick again. She walked at a brisk pace, hurrying to leave the place. Lark put her hand to her chest to feel her heart beat and sighed deeply to quiet its pounding. Her ears stung from it throbbing in her head the past few minutes. **

**As she left the building she saw that it was still raining and shivered involuntarily. Letting it pass, she held out her hand, stopping a single raindrop in midair.**

"**LARK! Over here, you silly girl!"**

**She turned her head to see her mother waving emphatically a few feet away on the steps. Passing a few stone pillars, she noticed that, behind her, Al was there. She quickened her pace. Ivy held her arms out. Lark rushed past her.**

**Grasping Alphonse's armored hands in her own she smiled brightly. "AL! I can't believe it! What are you doing here!"**

"**I came to wish you luck!" he replied, cheerfully.**

**Ivy turned, hurt, and asked, "Lark?"**

**Twisting her head to face her mother, still clutching Al's hands she smiled. "Yes?"**

"**What is the atomic weight of scandium?"**

**Lark stared at her mother for a moment with no reply, then, at length, she said. "Oh, damnit all…."**

"**You can't remember the simplest things…" Ivy sighed. "You know that if you pass this test you're in, regardless of how you perform in the other half. You've already proved you're an amazing alchemist…"**

**Lark let go of Al's hands and folded her own in front of her, hanging her head. "I-I'm trying really hard…" How could she make her mother proud if she couldn't prove herself as a scientist? A sharp pain formed in her throat and she knew she would cry. "I-I…." Lark lifted her head quickly and looking serious said, "I know that I'll pass! And if I don't then I'll just try again next spring!"**

"**That's the spirit!" Alphonse said encouragingly. "Don't give up hope!"**

**Lark's smile returned and she looked about for a moment. "Where's Edward?" she asked, curiosity in her tone.**

"**Uh…he…um…" Al stuttered.**

**Ivy chimed in, "He's sick and couldn't come."**

**Lifting her eyes to see Al face to face, Lark asked, "Is that true?"**

**The armor nodded hurriedly. "Y-Yes, Brother seems to have a bit of a cold."**

**Lark glanced at the ground and raised her eyebrows skeptically. "Oh, I see…"**

**Ivy sighed, realizing she knew it was a lie. "You're much too perceptive, Lark. Don't be upset."**

**Lark's head shot up and she grinned. "What's to be upset about? People get sick all the time! I'll just have to pay him a visit!"**

"**N-no, you can't he…um…you don't want to catch anything!" Al stammered.**

"**Nonsense." Lark said, heading down the steps, still facing Al and her mother. "I've never been sick a day in my life! I'm sure Ed would be happy to see me, right?"**

"**Now, now honey! You don't want to do that…!" Ivy trotted after her down the steps, as did Alphonse (though it was more trudging than trotting).**

**Alone in his room, Edward flipped through the pages of a book he had just found and scratched down important points into a notebook. Twisting to get more comfortable in the chair, he shook his head, looked down at what he had just written and back at the book a couple of times, then erased and rewrote a sentence. Turning a crisp page he stopped and looked at the rain falling outside. He was feeling quite calm when, suddenly, his door burst open and in it's way stood a very cross looking young woman.**

**Startled, he slammed his notebook shut, gaping at her for a moment. Recognizing her and feeling like he was in for a bit of yelling, Edward set down his pen and ripped a scrap of paper to keep his place in the book he had been reading.**

**Lark's face softened. "Oh…you poor thing…" Walking softly over to the young man, she took his face in her hands, pressing his cheeks together until his lips puckered out awkwardly. "It's obvious why you didn't come to greet me! You're _obviously_ incapacitated!" Still holding his face, Lark looked over to Alphonse. "I can tell, Al," her gaze turned, piercingly to Edward. "You're just way to sick to come see me!"**

**Ed turned his head away. "I'm not sick." He replied. "You didn't have to cover for me, Al."**

**Uncomfortable, Al nodded hesitantly. "I'm sorry Brother…I just-"**

**"You didn't want Lark to get her feelings hurt." Ed finished. "I know. Sorry about not showing up." He rose to his feet and walked away to a small writing desk and opened one of the drawers. "How'd it go?" he asked distractedly.**

**"Uh…Okay, I guess…" Lark placed her hands on her hips. "What's got you so down?"**

**Edward only shook his head. "Nothing, I'm just really busy right now." And with that he sat back down, having grabbed a few loose pieces of paper, and opened his book again.**

**Lark leaned over his shoulder. "What've you got there?"**

**"Hmm? Oh, nothing, just a book." He answered.**

**"Well, I'm gonna go pay a visit to some of the higher-ups, oki-dokie?"**

**Edward seemed to hardly notice she had said anything at all, but nodded. "Yeah. Professor Johansson, maybe you can help me with this…"**

**Ivy pushed up her spectacles and, examining the boy, responded, "Of course, dear."**

**"You too, Al." Edward added. "Come here."**

**Lark, suddenly feeling as if she was useless, flushed and turned to leave the room. As she turned out the door, closing it behind her, she thudded hard into a pile of books and papers which then went flying about the hallway. Behind them was a young looking boy with black hair who now sat, distraught on the floor, having been knocked down by the blow. **

**"Oops…" he grunted, getting up. "Sorry about that…" **

**Lark Squatted down and began to pick up the books and papers, piling them. "No, I wasn't paying attention…Here." She lifted a stack and set them in the boy's arms. "So, what's your name?" she asked, warmly.**

**He lifted a knee under the armful of ledgers and such to push it farther into his arms. "My name is Daniel Feist…I'm new around here. I was _supposed _to be an assistant to Miss Riza Hawkeye, but there's someone who's sorta stepped up and taken my place there. This, girl, Rupp…she's such a know it all and a suck up…" he noticed he was getting off subject and laughed nervously. "Anyway, I was sent to the library to see if I could be of any assistance there."**

**Lark cocked an eyebrow. "Well then, Daniel, good luck. Be more careful, huh?" she ruffled his hair and continued on her way, but then looked back. "Hey, Danny!" she called.**

**Turning, with some effort, the boy peered over the load in his arms. "Yes?"**

"**I want you to help me with something…" she trotted up beside him. "I want you to tell me what book someone has out."**

**Daniel pursed his lips. "I don't think I'm allowed to do that."**

"**No, no…it's fine!" She assured him, glancing back at Edward's door. "I just wanna know the title…"**

**Ivy scratched her head in thought. "Honestly, Edward, I don't research the same things as you do as far as alchemy is concerned. I've never even heard of Nicolas Flamel."**

**Edward sighed and fell back onto the couch, folding his hands across his forehead. "I've heard the name a thousand times, and just this morning I found this book in the library about him." **

"**But, what does he have to do with anything?" Alphonse inquired.**

"**What we never realized is that he has everything to do with it. 'It' being the Philosopher's Stone." Edward leaned in and frowned in thought. "Nicolas Flamel was a bookseller who lived in France in the fourteenth century. The story goes that he had a dream where he was visited by an angel who showed him a mysterious book. So, not long after that, when a man came to his stand selling a strange manuscript he recognized it as the book from his dream and bought it on the spot."**

"**What was in the book?" Ivy pressed, seeing that Edward was beginning to look out the window in thought.**

"**Well, this book here" he tapped the tome on the table in front of him. "gives a pretty extensive description of what the book looked like and contained." Grabbing the book, he put it in his lap and flipped back a few pages locating a spot in the text with is finger. He read, " ' …a binding of worked copper on which characters of Greek and unknown origin are inscribed. The pages are made of the bark of young trees and the words therein are clearly written with an iron point. The leaves of the book, divided into groups of seven, are separated into three different sections by papers without writing, but with strange symbols that Flamel did not recognize. On the first page the words presented make it obvious that the author was 'Abraham the Jew ¾ prince, priest, Levite, astrologer, and philosopher'. Following this is a list of curses and threats that will befall anyone who sets eyes upon the text therein contained who was not a priest or a scribe. The word "maranatha" is many times repeated on each page. This only caused him to be more intrigued by the texts and diagrams accompanying it. This book was known only as the book of Abraham the Jew.' "**

**As Edward concluded he closed the book and sighed, seeming greatly troubled.**

"**But, Brother, what does any of this have to do with the Philosopher's Stone…?" Al pressed, not sure he understood.**

**Sitting up straight, Edward lifted up his foot and propped it up on his knee. "It's said that in that book, among all of those symbols he didn't recognize, was the formula to create the philosopher's stone. He devoted his life to finding people who could translate it for him, and when he did, he figured out what it all meant and the secrets were transcribed onto the stones of Saint-Jacques-la Boucherie, or the Cemetery of the Innocents, in Paris."**

**After a slight pause Ivy laughed. "Well how in the world have you missed that all these years? It's just written down somewhere where anyone can come and look at it?"**

**The boy shook his head. "No. Someone stole the inscriptions; broke the sections off of the sculptures they were inscribed on. For years before that though, hundreds of alchemists went on pilgrimage to the cemetery to study the writing and try to decipher it, but none of them could."**

**Deciding it was best to let all of this information settle for a moment, Edward stopped talking and re-opened his notebook. It was littered with scribbled notes and alchemic symbols and drawings, all foreign to him-that had been presented in the book he was reading-from Flamel's own notebooks. He covered his mouth with his hand, thinking.**

**Alphonse raised his head and said, "So…where is this book now?"**

**Ed shrugged. "The hell if I know…It was probably stolen too, just like the projection powder that he created and the gold he had stashed away all over Paris. Just like the walls of his cellars, where he did his research…all examined and taken, or stolen."**

**"Well _someone_ has to have it!" Ivy said pointedly. She drummed her fingers on the table in thought. At last she said, "Why not start to search for this book of Abraham or whatever instead of the Philosopher's Stone?"**

**"I know, Professor. That's exactly what I've been considering." Edward explained.**

**He had been relatively quiet throughout this discussion, only asking questions to further his understanding, but Alphonse felt suddenly motivated to speak. "There's a chance that this book doesn't even exist anymore, though. Especially if it was all that old when this Flamel person found it. I think it would be better to try and find the sculptures that the final instructions to creating the Philosopher's Stone were inscribed on."**

**Ivy nodded in agreement. "Yes, that's very true. If this Abraham of the Jews is the same one mentioned in the old testament of the Bible, then that manuscript would have been pretty darned old even in the fourteenth century…but at the same time…" she removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes. "if this book really did contain the instructions to create the Philosopher's Stone, then why was it kept secret all those years? And what's more, why else do you think that they say that searching for the Philosopher's Stone is the devil's errand? A lost cause, impossible…It must have to do with the curse in the beginning of the book. I don't think you're a scribe or a priest, Edward."**

**They all paused in thought.**

**" 'Legend of the Stone: the biography of Nicolas Flamel…'?" Lark fitted her self with a flat expression, feeling cheated. "Flamel….? Isn't that the name of that symbol they wear, too?" She closed the book containing the check-out records and tapped her lip with her index finger…"Flamel…flamel…"**

**Daniel made a bewildered sort of face as Lark passed him behind the desk. "Uh, did that help at all?" he asked.**

**"Yeah, I guess…Of course, I don't really know what I was hoping to find anyway." She stopped at the end of the counter and twisted around to face Daniel. "Danny, can you help me?"**

**"I'll try…I've only been in here for a few hours though." He confessed.**

**"Help me find a bible…" she requested.**

**The boy ran a hand through his hair and arched one eyebrow. "A bible?"**

**"Yeah, you see…" Lark began, her back to Daniel, searching for the right section. "There's a passage in Exodus that talks about Moses holding up a snake on a flagstaff for the Israelites to be cured of snakebites…Then, in John, Jesus compares himself to that very same thing…the snake on the flagstaff, but of course, we all know that Jesus was crucified. That makes it a cross, not a flagstaff…Do you get where I'm going with this?"**

**Daniel shook his head, confusedly. "I have no idea what you just said."**

**Lark rolled her eyes. "I think that the flamel, I mean the symbol now, not the person…since apparently there was a person too…has something to do with salvation…or hope, something tangible that you can see that gives you strength, you know? That's why Jesus compared himself to the snake on the flagstaff. His crucifixion served as a visual example of his sacrifice and the forgiveness of sins…" Lark picked up a book with an, "Ah-ha!" and flipped through it. "I knew there had to be a bible in an alchemic library…" She looked up at Daniel. "Oh, and did you know that during the War of the Henrys, German soldiers carried coins depicting the flamel to help cure them of the bubonic plague?" Her eyes lit up. "OH-HO! In your FACE Mom! Knowledge of warfare IS useful! Even in alchemy!"**

**Again, he could only shake his head. "Are you gonna be okay?"**

**Lark waved him away, as if he were an annoying insect. "Yes, yes, all I'm saying is that I think I know why they wear that symbol…Since they're looking for the Philosopher's Stone, which, by the way, we don't even know EXISTS, they need something _visual_ as a pick-me-up, ya know? Just like the soldiers used it superstitiously to ward off disease…"**

**Deciding his brain hurt, Daniel shifted his uniform coat and bit at his bottom lip. "So…uh, is that all you needed then?"**

**She looked up, Bible in hand. "Huh? Oh, yea, you can go now."**


	2. The Hidden Path

**2.**

**The morning sun filtered warmly through Roy Mustang's office window. He glanced out it, admiring the way the clouds had passed so quickly from the previous day. There was a knock at the door.**

"**Yes, come in."**

**A young brunette walked into the room and bowed a little bit, holding in her hands a manila folder containing the results from the exams. "They're here, Colonel Mustang, sir."**

**He waved her in. "Good, good…Let's see them"**

**She pushed her hair behind her ear and walked over to his desk, opening the folder and setting a stack of about five sheets of paper in front of him. He picked them up and, seeing what he was looking for, smiled faintly.**

"**Thank you, Jennifer. Please send out letters informing all the participants that there will not be any further testing as a choice has been made." He said. Upon seeing the girl about to leave, though he held up his hand to stop her. "Oh, and please contact Miss Lark Johansson and ask her to see me at her earliest convenience, please."**

**Jennifer nodded and left the room. As she continued down the hallway, she saw Daniel striding along with a displeased look on his face. She smiled to herself.**

"**How's the library, Daniel?" she simpered.**

**Only deepening his scowl, he did not reply.**

**Stopping mid stride and placing a hand on her hip, Jennifer tilted her head back, looking down her nose at the boy. "Aww, don't be jealous!"**

"**I'm not jealous!" Daniel fumed. "I just don't see what got you in so good!" Creasing his brow in puzzlement, he pointed to the door she just walked out of. "Isn't that Colonel Mustang's office?"**

**Jennifer's smile grew. "It was decided that I should be his assistant instead."**

"**You've been promoted!" Daniel cried out in disbelief. "You've gotta be kidding me! Great…while I'm helping this Lark person find checkout records and bibles, _you're_ getting promotions in only a week!"**

**Shrugging, Jennifer smiled. "Good things come to those who wait!"**

"**A WEEK!"**

**Something snapping in her head, Jennifer realized she had heard a familiar name. "Lark? Her last name wasn't Johansson by chance, was it?"**

**Unsure about the sudden subject change, Daniel shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, I don't remember…but how many "Larks" can there possibly be in the world?"**

"**Do you know where she is?" Jennifer asked impatiently. "I need to give her a message from Colonel Mustang."**

"**Yeah, I think she went to Major Elric's room." Daniel groaned, though. "WAIT! Why the heck am I _helping_ you!"**

**Laughing behind her upraised hand, Jennifer strolled past him. "Thanks, Daniel! You're a big help!"**

**Clenching his fists at his sides Daniel's face flushed with anger. She drives me _nuts!_ He thought.**

**Lark shook her head. "There's one problem with your story, though." She said. "The Cemetery of the Innocents isn't what 'Saint-Jacques-la Boucherie' means. For one, 'boucherie' is French for butchery, and Saint-Jacques-la Boucherie is a church in Paris. I've been there. This guy, I guess, must be the grave I saw. He was buried under the church, but you are right about the alchemic symbols. Real weird, evil looking pictures…but as far as I'm concerned all alchemic art is sorta scary. I had no clue what it meant." Lark shrugged her shoulders. "But I'm not really an alchemist…Just sorta fell into that one. Now, chemistry I can do...I just get a little confused with some of the elements sometimes." Her eyes lit up. "Now, if you wanted me to storm a castle…"**

**Edward picked at his watch chain. "So, you say you've seen this grave?"**

**Lark nodded. "Yep. You should go there. I bet you could find something out about the stone. OH! Aaaand, I was in the library and came across what you were looking into and I found this book called Voyage dans la Touquie by Paul Lucas, and it said that this Flamel guy is still alive." Her sudden usefulness had her a little happier.**

"**What!" Ed stood to his feet. "Wait…what was the name of that book again? When was it published? Where did it say he's living!"**

**Laughing, the girl crossed her legs and propped up her chin in the palm of her hand. "Easy there, partner. Okay, the book is called Voyage dans la Touquie. It was published in…ah…I think the date was 1718 or 1719 or something like that. It said that he and his wife Pemelle staged their deaths after they found the stone and that it served like some sort of life elixir." She stopped, her mind going blank. "What was the other question?" **

"**WHERE IS HE!" Ed cried, irritated.**

"**Oh, yeah. He lives in India or something." She finished.**

"**Or something? Are you sure it's India?" He pressed. "You remember that for sure?"**

"**Yeah, yeah. It was India!"**

**A knock sounded from the door.**

"**Come in." Alphonse answered, now trying to calm down a very excited Edward who was trembling with anticipation.**

**A young woman opened the door and smiled pleasantly. "Miss Lark Johansson?"**

**Lark stood up. "Yes, that's me."**

"**You're requested by Colonel Mustang at your earliest convenience. I believe it's in regards to your test results." She informed her.**

**Nervously biting at her lip, Lark leaned forward a bit. "I didn't pass it did I?"**

**Jennifer shook her head. "No, actually, I think that you did. My assignment after this is to inform all the participants that there won't be any more testing."**

**The color drained from Lark's face. "W-wait…I passed!"**

"**That's my understanding." Jennifer replied.**

"**WOW! I thought I did horrible!" Lark sat down, shocked "Wow…"**

**Ivy ran over to her daughter and embraced her. "I'm so proud of you, honey!"**

"**Congratulations!" Al added emphatically.**

**Ed's expression changed from exited to flaccid. "Yeah, great job."**

**Exchanging a glance with her mother, Lark turned her attention to the little blonde and heatedly asked, "What?" an obvious snap in her voice.**

**Edward shrugged. "Just looks like they'll let anyone in these days." He explained.**

"**Yeah, I hear that it all started when they let some twelve-year old join a while back." Lark retorted bitingly. "Have you got something you'd like to say, Elric!"**

**Getting up and taking his book with him, Edward headed toward the door. "Thanks for your help, Lark. Al, start to pack, okay? We'll leave tomorrow. I'll be in the library if you need me."**

**Closing the door behind him, Edward started toward the library. **

**Jennifer, now feeling a little uncomfortable, cleared her throat. "I-uh…I should go." And that being said, she left to finish her assignment.**

**Lark fell silent for a time and a moment later, she rose to her feet. "I'll be back in a while, I guess."**

**Her mother nodded. "Okay."**

**Lark headed out toward her destination but, the more she walked the more she realized she was more angry than hurt. "Who the hell does he think he is anyway!" she grumbled. "I'm just as good an alchemist as anyone here! I could beat the crap outta him if I had to!" Stopping in front of Mustang's office, she knocked firmly twice and when she got clearance to enter, she firmed up her face and stepped in with confidence.**

"**Miss Johansson," he smiled, rising out of his seat, one hand on his desk. "Please, have a seat." He extended his hand to a couch positioned near the desk and she nodded briefly, sitting down.**

"**I assume you know why you're here." He began, folding his hands in front of him. "I've sent word of your acceptance. You'll receive-"**

"**Let's cut to the chase." She cut him off, abruptly. "I'd like to be permitted to study the markings on the grave of Nicolas Flamel in the Saint-Jacques-la Boucherie in Paris." Lark took a moment to allow that to sink in and then, looking into his eyes to tell him she meant business, she added, "As soon as possible."**

"**Flamel?" Mustang inquired, his voice thick with skepticism. "Don't tell me that Fullmetal has gotten you caught up in this Philosopher's Stone nonsense, too."**

**Lark's expression stayed unmoving. "No, sir. I've decided that it was not a stone at all. And, to add to that thought, I'm surprised any alchemist would dismiss the Philosopher's Stone as nonsense. It's like the holy grail for you people."**

"**Us people?" He asked her, musingly. "Then you, even after passing state certification, are not 'one of us'? An alchemist?"**

"**No, sir. I'm not here because I want to be, I'm here because it's what my mother wants." Lark sat rigid and kept the corners of her mouth pointed downward trying hard not to cry. "I come from a long line of scientists. Regardless of my own desires, it would be irresponsible of me to betray my heritage by chasing juvenile dreams."**

**The Colonel's face filled with pity as he said, "Lark, tell me, have you expressed any of this to the professor? I'm sure she would be understanding of ****your-"**

"**Stay on subject, Colonel Mustang." She said firmly. "I have come upon some recent evidence that leads me to believe the Philosopher's Stone is not a stone, but rather, an elixir. One that grants immortality and cures all."**

"**The 'Great Elixir" theory?" Roy mumbled. "That has certainly been a point of interest in the past, but will you allow me to say something before you go gallivanting all over Europe in search of unicorns and mermaids like Fullmetal and his poor brother?"**

**Suddenly feeling like her plan, derived entirely out of spite, was not going to take her in the same direction that she thought it would, Lark swallowed hard and nodded.**

"**The Philosopher's Stone was a point of great interest in the earliest development of alchemy. It was a theory that kept man searching for a way to make alchemy work in its stages of infancy. But now that we have unlocked the keys to its success, modern alchemy has no place for such fairytales. The Philosopher's Stone…the Grand Elixir; they're nothing but ancient myths." Sighing, Roy ran a hand through his hair and looked with sadness at the woman before him. "I really don't have the heart to say it to Fullmetal, though. Telling him that restoring he and his brother's bodies is a lost cause isn't the kind of news I'd like to break to him."**

**Letting a grin slither to her mouth, Lark shook her head. "Tsk, tsk, Colonel. I thought that, of all people, you would believe in our good cause, but I'm not entirely sure I like your theory."**

**Suddenly interested, he shifted in his chair to cross his legs. "Enlighten me."**

"**Well," she began, leaning languidly over her own crossed legs. "what if I don't buy that it just doesn't exist? There is a good chance that this Nicolas Flamel held the key to the Elixir and with it, cheated death."**

**The sun was beginning to shine more brightly through the window as noontime approached. Closing one eye against it, Lark put up a hand to shield her face, but then instead got up and walked right up to Roy's desk, planting her hands firmly on it and leaning in.**

"**It's a shame that God spreads the knowledge to achieve greatness so…" Lark stopped, choosing the word carefully. "…parsimoniously." She finished. "Perhaps there is a reason that only ONE man was given the resources and the instructions on how to create this panacea, Colonel Mustang."**

**There was a long pause as the two State Alchemists looked at one another, both having their own thoughts. In eventuality, a thin spread smile found its way to the Colonel and he took Lark's chin in between his thumb and his index finger.**

"**Then I suppose we will have no choice but to fund your research."**

**He spun his chair around and got up, handing her a paper from the top of one of the many piles on his desk.**

**"I had the Fuhrer make this in advance. We both knew that because of what happened last year, you would be admitted one way or the other."**

**Lark looked down at the paper and read it, frowning in thought.**

**"The Elemental Alchemist?" she grumbled. "Doesn't look like a whole lot o' thought went into THAT one!"**

**Daniel was replacing books in the far reaches of the library that his eccentric new friend had taken out. The area was dark and smelled strongly of decaying paper as all of the oldest texts were kept there. In all honesty, this particular part of the library had him a bit anxious and, as he fought to see the numbers on the sides of the books, he could almost feel hands coming up behind him to wrap themselves around his neck…**

**Vigorously shaking his head to throw the thoughts out, he struggled to match the numbers faster, holding up a small lamp. As if from nowhere, at the end of the shelf he heard a loud crack, then a thud. Startled, he nearly leapt from his skin, and threw the book from his hands. Slowly, he peered down to the end of the bookshelf, that part of which was entirely encompassed in darkness. He swallowed hard and lifting his lamp, tip-toed to the end of the bookcase. He closed in on the end and putting the lamp around the side he saw nothing.**

**Sighing with relief, he was about to leave to finish, when he noticed a strange outcropping in the wall. Daniel frowned inquisitively, as he reached out to touch it. As he did, he felt it give way slightly and pulled back his hand. His heart pounded furiously and his arms began to shake with the thrill of discovery. Turning to make sure he was still alone, Daniel licked his lips and pressed on the small, stony protrusion.**

**A sound like the shifting of thousand year old gears on rock reverberated from behind the wall. It was short and loud and caused him to jump, but only a moment after it, the wall slid back and shifted to the side. A hefty amount of dust shot out of the cracks in the wall as the ancient doorway set into place. A dank and unpleasant smell leaked forth from the hallway it unlocked. The air was thick and sulfurous. Holding out his lamp, casting shaky shadows into the passageway, Daniel saw several rats scurry out of the way of the light that had been foreign to them for so long. There on the ground was a torch that had, until only a minute ago, been set into the stone with an iron holder. It now lay crumbling on the floor, decaying before his eyes in the illumination from his lantern.**

**Stepping cautiously over it, Daniel held out the light in front of him and listened for a moment. A deep, hollow noise sounded from far beyond the corridor as if someone, or something was breathing…it made a sharp intake and turned to a low, guttural laughter, chilling his soul. He cried out and fell to the floor, dropping his lantern. He turned frantically and scurried out of the doorway on his hands and knees, pressing the outcropping and closing the entrance.**

**Breathing heavily, and shaking like a newborn calf. Daniel felt a fear well up within him he had never felt before… **


	3. Separate Paths

**3.**

**"GONE WHERE!" Edward fumed, grabbing Roy by the collar of his uniform, and pulling him down to face him.**

**"This is hardly intimidating, Fullmetal." He said, informingly.**

**Colonel Riza Hawkeye leaned passively against the back wall of the office and nodded her head. "I'm sorry that you missed her. I sent my assistant Daniel with her. She said she was headed to Paris."**

**"I knew it!" Edward grumbled, releasing the colonel and clenching a fist in front of him. "That bitch is gonna try and beat me there!"**

**Exchanging equally interested glances, Roy and Riza looked to Ed.**

**"Beat you?" Hawkeye asked. "Beat you to what?"**

**Stamping his foot, Edward said, "To Flamel's grave! I can't believe her…That's it! Al and I are leaving for Paris…NOW!"**

**Smothering the urge to laugh, Roy stuck one hand in his pocket.**

**"Alright, then. So. I suppose you also support the Elixir theory?"**

**Suddenly completely still, the boy turned his head from its downward position upward to face his superiors. "She thinks it's an ELIXIR! It's called the Philosopher's STONE! I can't believe her! She's totally impossible! That fact that she can even USE alchemy is a freaking _fluke_! I, for one, can't understand how she passed the test in the first place…You should have never let her pass certification!"**

**And with that said, he left the room, grumbling to himself the entire way.**

**Exchanging bemused smiles, the two colonel's went about their work.**

**"To Paris, Brother?" Alphonse asked, "That could take forever, though!"**

**Edward picked up his suitcase as their train approached. "What's more important to you, Al; getting our bodies back or how long it takes?"**

**Al scratched behind his head nervously. "No, no I didn't mean that! I just think that maybe we should wait to hear from Lark when she gets there."**

**Beginning to board the locomotive, Ed turned his head to look at his brother. "Lark doesn't have the slightest clue as to what the heck she's even LOOKING for! She thinks alchemic art is scary! She'll probably wimp out before she can even make a rub of the grave!"**

**Still unsure, Alphonse followed Edward onto the train. "But, don't you think that Lark would have at least said goodbye to all of us before hand? She didn't even tell Professor Ivy that she was going."**

**"She knows that her mother would have told us exactly what she was up to!" Sitting down, Ed crossed his arms. "We'll catch up to her and this Daniel kid and when we do, then she's really in for it!"**

**Lark sat in her room at Central, finishing a couple of telegrams she wanted sent out, and smiled, proud of herself. "I knew he'd take the bait!" She crooked her neck around and looked at Daniel. "Do you know what this means?"**

**Daniel shook his head. "No. I don't even know what you're trying to DO…"**

**She rolled her eyes. "Does anyone else get weighted down with assistance on their first trip?"**

**Frowning, a little insulted, Daniel folded his hands in his lap. "I'm sorry."**

**Lark smiled, and stepped over beside him. "Now, now, don't be that way." She said, giving him half a hug. "I don't mind if that's the way they do things around here, it's just…I don't know how much use you're gonna be when we get to India."**

**Daniel's face got suddenly heavy. "INDIA! Why are we going to India?" He felt hopeless. He wanted desperately to have been able to stay where he was to investigate the door he had found in the far reaches of the library. He had to tell someone and quickly, before he ended up all the way in India!**

**"Because rumor has it that Nicolas Flamel is living there. I plan on finding out if that's true or not. I mean," she smiled slyly at Daniel. "What's the point of going to Paris to look at symbols I'm not going to recognize anyway, right? So if I just find this guy, I can threaten the old goof into telling me exactly how to make this Great Elixir!"**

**Dan felt as if she were entirely too close to him and shifted a little left on the couch. "I-uh…I think I may have found something strange in the library, but I'm not sure who I should tell…So, before we leave for…" he swallowed hard. "…India I'd like to see if we can have someone look into it."**

**This perked Lark's interest. "Found? Like what?"**

**"It's really strange. In the back of the library. I think we should tell someone about it. There…" His eyes grew wide. "There's something IN there…"**

**The doorway slid open once more and as it did, Hawkeye took a gun out of its holster as a precaution.**

**"I'll go in first." She announced, pulling back the action. "Mustang, stay close."**

**Daniel peered, worried, from beside Ivy. "Should…should I do something to help?" he asked.**

**Ivy smiled. "No, I'm sure they have it." She waved. "HAVE FUN!"**

**Lark rolled her eyes and watched as Roy stepped in through the corridor. She followed close behind. Lifting a hand she placed it over the top of one of the torches and lifted it once more, lighting it with white flame. She made sure the famous Flame Alchemist saw her feat, grinning.**

**"Don't push it, Johansson." He warned.**

**Lark extended her hand, flame billowing in her upraised palm. "Don't call me by my last name like I'm one of your lackeys, MUSTANG." She emphasized his last name mockingly and blew out the fire she held.**

**Hawkeye turned sharply. "Both of you." She warned. "We don't know what to expect down here, so be on guard."**

**As they moved their way down the dimly lit corridor, Lark setting fire to all of the torches she passed, it became increasingly apparent that there was something there. Whether or not it was alive, however, was a different story. Stepping sideways to avoid a small dead rodent in her path, Riza grabbed a torch off of the wall behind her and held it out to light the way before her, holding her gun up beside it.**

**The air was thick and dank, carrying the smell of death and decay, and it was stronger the farther they went. The corridor was not wide. In fact, it was rather narrow. This was becoming more and more apparent as they went along their way. The hall was getting thinner, but as it did, it also got brighter and Lark noticed something she hadn't seen before. Markings in the stone on the ceiling. **

**Peering up at them, she also did not notice Colonel Mustang stop in front of her and she bumped him harshly.**

**"Ouch, what gives?" she complained, holding her nose**

"**There are pictures carved into the ceiling." Hawkeye said, pointing upward.**

"**Yeah, I saw them." Lark said.**

**Now her shoulders were touching the sides of the hall and being stopped in the middle of it was making her feel Closter Phobic. Lark wished that Hawkeye would keep moving but just as she was about to say something, the ground beneath their feet began to rumble slightly, almost vibrating. Roy turned around to see what was causing it and his eyes grew wide. Concerned, Lark turned her head (as not to stand with the man behind her) and saw that the wall behind them was closing together on either side, separating the three of them from their exit far beyond.**

**"MOVE!" Mustang ordered, pushing Lark toward the shrinking doorway.**

**But as she rushed forward, it closed and began to slide toward them fast, causing the floor to shake violently. It was all they could do to stay on their feet. Frantically, Lark turned and shoved her superior forward in the opposite direction, but it was to no avail. He ran straight into Colonel Hawkeye, who was facing a similar fate on her side of the hall. The two barricades came screaming down either end of the passage toward them, closing the distance.**

**Lark cried out and latched her arms desperately around Roy's neck, closing her eyes tightly and awaiting her impending doom. The thing pressed against her from behind, but strangely she felt as if she were being pushed from her companion's side as well. Hesitantly opening one eye, Lark saw that the blockades had stopped and now the three of them stood pinned within the confines of the hallway. Moving was not an option.**

**Still clinging to Colonel Mustang-as she had no room to put her arms down any longer-Lark sighed with relief. "We're ali-i-ive!" she cried, though she noticed that something had pushed up under her rump, suspending her feet in the air. She kicked her legs a bit, hoping it wasn't what she thought it was.**

**"Don't rejoice just yet." Riza warned, pressed uncomfortably into her companion from the other side. "We may be alive, but just how in the hell do you think we're going to get out of this mess, Johansson?"**

**Lark shifted a little and, looking at Hawkeye over Mustang's shoulder, cocked an eyebrow. "Well…" she began. "ALCHEMY maybe…" The girl shuffled her body around experimentally to see if she could wriggle her arms out from around the neck of the man before her. "Maybe…" she repeated.**

**Roy sighed. "I refuse to die this way, Johansson. Figure something out."**

**"Oh yeah," she began with a laugh. "Pinned between two beautiful women? This has to be really stressful for you! I'm sure that ISN'T your hand on my butt either!"**

**Two hands grappled clumsily at the hem of Lark's skirt and she squealed.**

**"No, it isn't" he marked. "I was about to reach around to push you behind me, but this damned wall moved too fast…" He wriggled, letting go of the girls clothing. "Damn it all to hell, Hawkeye…can't you do anything back there?"**

**"I'm working on it, Mustang."**

**Lark, who had been squirming around all this time, let out a small, "yes!" as she freed her elbows from the walls and raised her hands upward, touching the ceiling. As she tapped into the power of the earth transmutation circle on her back, it began to glow a soft, pale, green. The ceiling, however, instead of pushing upward, glowed blue around the edges of all of the pictures inscribed upon it. Gasping, she drew her hands back down.**

**"What did you do?" Hawkeye asked hurriedly.**

**"I-I don't know!" stammered Lark, "I was going to lift the ceiling and get onto the colonel's shoulders to give me more room to move the walls, but-"**

**Just then the barricades lurched and rushed back to their places, separating at the middles and disappearing into the walls they emerged from. Lark was now able to stand on her feet once more, and looking to Roy gleefully, kept her arms around his neck as she said, "I told you. Alchemy!"**

**With that she released him and looked back along the walls once more, noticing that the rushing compresses had knocked down about three torches and realized that the side they came from looked less like an option than before.**

**"I'm getting a little sick in here." She announced. "My head hurts and between you and I, I don't much care for small spaces or Colonel Mustang." Lark dusted at her behind and arched her head upward to peer curiously at the runes above them that still glowed with a faint light. "What do you suppose that's all about?"**

**Unexpectedly, a harsh and ragged breathing sounded from the end of the passageway. Hawkeye pivoted on her heel, ready for action, her gun pointed unsurely into the hazy distance of the hall. The breathing continued, deep and shaking and soon it was accompanied by footsteps. They dragged across the dusty floor, echoing only slightly in the small space allotted them.**

**Slowly, a figure came into their view, and as they did a maniacal laugh began to **

**sound from one of the most foul creatures any of the three had ever laid eyes upon…**

**"A telegram?" Edward inquired, taking the paper from the worker who had handed it to him. "Who's it from?"**

**The man shrugged and stuck out a hand to catch his balance as the train pitched around a corner. "I don't know, sir."**

**Alphonse looked over at the letter inquisitively. "Open it, Brother."**

**Shrugging, the little blonde slipped his finger under one edge of the envelope and slid it across to pry it open. He took the letter out and read it carefully. His face coiled up into a scowl and he handed the parchment over to his younger brother.**

**Al read it out loud. **

"**Dearest Edward;**

**Please excuse this, as it may be the last time I communicate with you. If all goes well in India then I may find no reason to return to Germany at all. I will be sure to inform Mr. Flamel of your efforts, regardless of their futility, and place specific emphasis on your personal alchemic skills. I will send to you and Alphonse a small sample of the elixir once I discover how to create it for myself but will only send enough for one use. Choose wisely. **

**I express my gratitude once more for your help in Central that time ago. If my mother had not felt the camaraderie that all dwarves feel toward one another on that train, we may have never met. I also thank you for your correspondences this past year. Your counterfeit friendship has been indescribably damaging to my self esteem.**

**Sincerely, **

**Miss Lark Johansson"**

**But just as he finished, the same man returned and handed a letter to Alphonse. The boy waited a beat, and took the envelope, then, opening it, read his letter out loud.**

"**To Al,**

**Hey! Sorry that you got dragged into this crud with your hot-headed, midget brother! By the time you get this, my assistant and I will be on our way to India. I'm going to find out if the rumors about Nicolas Flamel living there are true or not. If I find anything out about the Grand Elixir or the Philosopher's Stone you'll be the first one to know! Love and best wishes!**

**Your friend,**

**Lark"**

**After a moment's hesitation, Al shook a little bit, his armored exterior clattering gently as he laughed.**

**"This isn't funny, Al!" Edward fumed. "We've wasted an entire day's time already! And then, on top of that, we have to go back and get a new lead! AND WHERE DOES SHE GET OFF CALLING ME A DWARF AND A MIDGET!"**

**"You brought it on yourself, being so rude to her, Brother!"**

**"What do you care! She LIKES you! What a waste of time!"**

**As he got a hold on his temper, Edward realized that they were going to have to get right back on the train headed to Central when they got off of this one. He groaned and slid down in his seat. **


End file.
